Attachment assembly for use with a self-propelled power unit

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to a self-propelled outdoor power equipment unit, an attachment for use with such a unit and associated methods. The unit may be in the form of a mower having a mower deck. The attachment includes a hopper and conveyor assembly for discharging particulate material from the hopper. The conveyor assembly has operational and stored positions, the latter of which provides a narrower profile of the attachment and unit. The attachment and mower deck may be mounted on the frame of the unit together or separately. The attachment is configured for rapid mounting and dismounting on the frame of the unit, and provides additional functionality to a mower or other unit on which the attachment is mounted.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Technical Field

The present invention is related generally to outdoor power equipmentand attachments for use therewith. More particularly, the presentinvention typically includes a hopper, conveyor belt assembly andhydraulic system typically powered by the engine of the outdoor powerequipment. Specifically, the invention is related to such equipmentwhich is configured to throw mulch or other particulate material fromwithin the hopper while the equipment is driven along the ground.

2. Background Information

There is a wide variety of self-propelled outdoor power equipment, suchas those used in the landscape, lawn and garden, forestry and utilityequipment industries. These self-propelled units may be walk-behindunits, stand-on units or sit-on units which typically include three orfour wheels. By way of example, such self-propelled units may be in theform of lawnmowers, leaf blowers, snow blowers or throwers, fertilizerspreaders, topdressers, aerators, power brooms, garden tractors, utilityvehicles and the like. Many of these units are within the category oflawn care equipment or turf care machines. Some of these units, such aspower mowers, may have a zero turning radius whereby they are sometimesreferred to as “zero turn” or “z turn” mowers or the like. Many of theseunits are configured for a single function, such as cutting grass,throwing snow or spreading fertilizer. However, other units may beconfigured to achieve more than one function, and may includeattachments to that end. Many such attachments are configured to betowed or pushed by the self-propelled unit whereby such attachmentstypically include wheels. Caster or broadcast spreaders have beenconfigured to mount on self-propelled units, such as those described inU.S. Pat. Nos. 6,502,771 and 6,637,678 both of which were granted toWyne. In addition, U.S. Pat. No. 5,156,218 granted to Metzler et al. isdirected to a landscape edging attachment. Furthermore, topdressersinclude models utilizing a conveyor belt to deliver particulate materialthrough a rotating brush for distribution onto the ground, as well asthose which use a rapidly spinning bar having steel plates securedthereto which strike the particulate material for distribution thereof.In addition, one unit sold under the name “Dakota 410 Rear Conveyor”utilizes a hopper which feeds particulate material onto a rear conveyorbelt external to the hopper such that the external conveyor belt feedsthe material outwardly to the side of the self-propelled unit. One ofthe drawbacks to the rear conveyor is that the operator must look backover his or her shoulder while driving the self-propelled unit in orderto ensure the proper distribution from the rear conveyor. The presentinvention addresses this and other needs in the art.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides an attachment for use with aself-propelled outdoor power equipment unit comprising a frame, anengine mounted on the frame, and drive wheels rotatably mounted on theframe and powered by the engine, the attachment comprising: a hopperwhich defines an interior chamber and is adapted to be removably mountedon the frame; and a conveyor belt support assembly; a conveyor beltrevolvably mounted on the support assembly for discharging particulatematerial from the interior chamber; a first section of the supportassembly; a second section of the support assembly which is movablerelative to the first section of the support assembly between anoperational position and a stored position.

The present invention also provides a method comprising the steps of:detaching a mower deck from a frame of a mower; mounting on the frame anattachment which comprises a hopper and conveyor belt; revolving theconveyor belt to discharge particulate material from the hopper.

The present invention further provides an attachment for use with aself-propelled outdoor power equipment unit comprising a frame, anengine mounted on the frame, and drive wheels rotatably mounted on theframe and powered by the engine, the attachment comprising: a hopperwhich defines an interior chamber; a mounting mechanism adapted formounting the hopper on the unit; and a hydraulic reservoir mounted onthe hopper whereby the hopper serves as a heat sink for hydraulic fluidwithin the reservoir.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

A preferred embodiment of the invention, illustrated of the best mode inwhich Applicant contemplates applying the principles, is set forth inthe following description and is shown in the drawings and isparticularly and distinctly pointed out and set forth in the appendedclaims.

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of the outdoor power equipment unit ofthe present invention with the attachment secured thereon.

FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of the unit.

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view similar to FIG. 1 showing theattachment removed from the front of the unit and a mower deck mountedon the frame.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged sectional view taken on line 4-4 of FIG. 1 showingone of the rear mounting mechanisms.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged sectional view taken on line 5-5 of FIG. 2 showinga portion of one of the front mounting mechanisms.

FIG. 6 is a front elevational view corresponding to the configuration inFIG. 3.

FIG. 7 is a front elevational view of a portion of the unit showing analternate front mounting mechanism.

FIG. 8 is similar to FIG. 7 and shows another alternate front mountingmechanism.

FIG. 9 is a sectional view looking forward and taken generally forwardof the engine and rearward of the hopper to provide a rear elevationalview of the hopper, conveyor assembly and front portion of the unit.

FIG. 9A is an enlarged rear elevational view of the encircled portion ofFIG. 9.

FIG. 9B is a sectional view taken on line 9B-9B of FIG. 9.

FIG. 10 is a top plan view of the portion of the unit shown in FIG. 9.

FIG. 11 is a bottom plan view of the portion of the unit shown in FIGS.9 and 10 and shows the hydraulic pump and associated sheave in themounted or tightened position with the drive belt mounted on the sheave.

FIG. 12 is similar to FIG. 11 and shows the hydraulic pump andassociated sheave in a loosened or dismounted position to allow thedrive belt to be mounted or dismounted on the sheave.

FIG. 13 is an enlarged sectional view showing the hydraulic pump in thesame position as FIG. 11 without the sheave and drive belt.

FIG. 14 is a sectional view taken on line 14-14 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 15 is an enlarged sectional view of the encircled portion of FIG.14.

FIG. 16 is a sectional view taken on line 16-16 of FIG. 10.

FIG. 17 is a sectional view taken on line 17-17 of FIG. 16.

FIG. 18 is an enlarged sectional view of the encircled portion of FIG.16.

FIG. 19 is an enlarged side elevational view of the control section ofthe unit.

FIG. 20 is a sectional view similar to FIG. 16 with portions cut awayshowing revolving operation of the conveyor belt to dischargeparticulate material from within the hopper.

FIG. 21 is a front elevational view of the unit showing the extensionportion of the conveyor belt assembly having moved from the extendedoperational position of FIG. 20 to the retracted stored position.

FIG. 22 is similar to FIG. 18 and shows the conveyor belt assembly inthe retracted stored position.

Similar numbers refer to similar parts throughout the drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The self-propelled outdoor power equipment unit of the present inventionis shown generally at 1 in FIGS. 1-3. Unit 1 may include one or morefunctional assemblies that perform specific functions or tasks inaddition to the self-propelled capability of the unit. For example, unit1 may include a functional assembly in the form of a hopper and conveyorassembly 2, a mower deck 4 (FIGS. 3, 6) or both. Such functionalassemblies may be configured for permanent attachment to the frame ofthe unit or removably mounted thereon. Removable functional assembliesmay be configured for relatively slow removal or relatively rapidremoval. The exemplary embodiment illustrates that assembly 2 and mowerdeck 4 are both configured to be quickly removed or attached to theframe of unit 1 as discussed further below. Unit 1 is configured totravel along the ground 6 while one or both of assembly 2 and mower deck4 operates to perform its specific functions. Assembly 2 and mower deck4 are also operable when unit 1 travel is stopped.

Unit 1 has a front 8 and a back 10 defining therebetween a longitudinaldirection of the unit. Unit 1 further includes a left side 12 and aright side 14 which define therebetween an axial direction of the unit.Unit 1 includes a rigid frame 16 typically formed of metal and extendingfrom adjacent front 8 to adjacent back 10. Left and right powered ordrive wheels 18 (only the right wheel shown) are rotatably mounted onframe 16 generally adjacent the back end 10. Left and right non-poweredor driven wheels 20 are rotatably mounted on frame 16 adjacent front end8. A typically fuel powered engine 22 is mounted on frame 16 generallyadjacent the back end for powering rotation of drive wheels 18. Wheels18 and 20 are ground-engaging wheels which define the bottom of unit 1and engage and roll on ground 6 to facilitate its travel in the forward(Arrow 23) and rearward directions as well as to the left and to theright. In the exemplary embodiment, unit 1 is configured as a zeroturning radius machine although it may be configured with steeringcapabilities which provide for a wider turning range. Unit 1 includes acontrol assembly 24 mounted adjacent back 10 for controlling the variousfunctions of unit 1.

Unit 1 may be configured as a walk-behind unit or model, as illustratedin solid lines in FIGS. 1 and 3, or may be configured with an operatorsupport platform 26 (dashed lines) which is shown here as a standingplatform on which an operator of machine 1 stands during operation,although platform 26 may also represent a seat on which the operatorsits during operation of the machine. Where unit 1 is a walk-behindmodel, the operator will walk behind or stand in an operator position 25adjacent and directly behind the machine and behind the control assembly24 with his or her hands on the appropriate controls of assembly 24.Alternately, the operator position may be atop platform 26 or the seatrepresented thereby with appropriate controls just forward of theoperator position. In any of these cases, assembly 2 is forward of theoperator position whereby the operator faces forward, as illustrated atArrow 27, whereby the operator can see the operation of assembly 2 asunit 1 travels forward. This configuration eliminates the difficultyassociated with a rear conveyor in which the operator must lookrearwardly over his or her shoulder while driving the unit forward.

Frame 16 includes left and right substantially horizontal longitudinalbeams or rails 28 (both shown in FIG. 11) which are generally parallelalthough FIG. 11 illustrates segments of rails 28 which are parallel andforward segments which taper forward and away from each other somewhat.Frame 16 further includes left and right front cylindrical caster mountsleeves 31 which are vertically oriented and hollow and thus definecylindrical passages or holes. Left and right sleeves 31 are secured torails 28 adjacent their respective front ends adjacent front end 8 ofunit 1. Frame 16 further includes a front axial crossbar 30, which isone of a plurality of substantially horizontal crossbars which extendbetween and are rigidly secured to rails 28. Rails 28 definetherebetween an open space 32 (FIG. 11) which extends rearwardly fromfront crossbar 30 to adjacent the front of engine 22. Space 32 serves asa through opening having top and bottom entrance openings 34 and 36(FIG. 3) such that portions of assembly 2 or other components may passinto and through space 32 from the top or bottom. Left and right forwardmounting holes 38 (FIG. 2) and rearward mounting holes 40 are formed inframe 16 and are used for mounting mower deck 4 on frame 16. In theembodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1-3, forward holes 38 are also used inmounting attachment 2 on frame 16. Holes 38 and 40 are typically throughholes formed through a horizontal beam or plate, and in the exemplaryembodiment forward holes 38 are formed through front crossbar 30.

In addition to powering the rotation of drive wheels 18, engine 22 has adrive shaft 42 and a sheave 44 secured to and rotatable with drive shaft42 about a vertical axis. A closed loop drive belt 46 is revolvablymounted on and engages sheave 44 as well as a sheave 48 of mower deck 4(FIG. 3) when deck 4 is mounted on frame 16. Sheave 48 is secured toanother shaft 50 and is rotatable therewith about a vertical axispassing through shaft 50. Mower deck 4 includes one or more mower blades52 which rotate about a respective vertical axis and are rotatablydriven by the rotation of sheave 48 and axle 50. Although a single mowerblade 52 may be used on certain models, it is common for commercialmowers to include two or three blades 52 which are offset from oneanother such that one of the blades 52 is secured to shaft 50 while theother blade or blades are secured to respective shafts having respectivesheaves which are driven by another drive belt, as is well known in theart. Mower deck 4 includes a rigid heavy duty housing 54 on which themower blades are rotatably mounted and on which several ground engagingmower deck wheels 56 are rotatably mounted to facilitate maintaining thelower deck and blades at the proper height during operation. Deck 4further includes a discharge chute 58 typically pivotally mounted onhousing 4 and extending outwardly to the side through which grassclippings and the like are discharged during the mowing process. In theexemplary embodiment, unit 1 without assembly 2 is configured as alawnmower with which the operator cuts grass of ground 6 with blades 52.

A mounting assembly is provided for mounting mower deck 4 on frame 16.In the exemplary embodiment, this mounting assembly includes left andright front rods 60 and left and right rear rods 62 (only the right rodshown) typically pivotally mounted on housing 54 and extend verticallyupwardly therefrom when deck 4 is mounted on frame 16. Cotter pins 64 orthe like are used to secure rods 60 and 62 on frame 16 in a standardfashion and thus serve as stops which engage the top of thecorresponding beam or other portion of frame 16 through which holes 38and 40 are formed to limit the downward movement of deck 4 relative toframe 16. Rods 60 and 62 are respectively slidably received within holes38 and 40 such that rods 60 and 62 may slide upwardly and downwardlywithin said holes to allow for some vertical adjustment of deck 4 duringoperation. The mounting of deck 4 on frame 16 thus is relatively simple,and involves the insertion of rods 60 and 62 upwardly through holes 38and 40 respectively and the insertion of cotter pins 64 throughrespective holes formed adjacent the top of rods 60 and 62. Belt 46 isalso mounted around sheaves 44 and 48 when deck 4 is mounted on frame16. The removal of deck 4 from frame 16 thus involves the oppositesteps, namely removing belt 46 from sheave 48, removing cotter pins 64and lowering rods 60 and 62 downwardly out of holes 38 and 40.

Lower deck 4 is mounted within a lower deck mounting space 66 which isdefined by the configuration of deck 4 when mounted on frame 16 and istypically entirely lower than rails 28. When lower deck 4 is removedfrom frame 16, space 66 is thus an open space. Deck 4 and space 66extend longitudinally as viewed from beside from adjacent rear drivewheels 18 to adjacent front driven wheels 20, and in the axial directionfrom adjacent the left wheels 18 and 20 to adjacent the right wheels 18and 20. In the exemplary embodiment, deck 4 extends outwardly to theleft beyond the left wheels 18 and 20 and left longitudinal rail 28 andoutwardly to the right beyond the right wheels 18 and 20 and rightlongitudinal rail 28. A substantial portion of deck 4 and space 66 isdirectly below space 32 with portions also directly below rails 28 andcrossbar 30. Deck 4 and space 66 are for the most part forward of engine22 and rear wheels 18 and mostly rearward of front wheels 20.

Control assembly 24 includes a control panel mounted on handle bars orother supporting structure secured to frame 16. A plurality of controlsare mounted on the control panel, including a drive wheel control 68, aconveyor belt control 70, a conveyor extension control 72 and a throttle74. Although only one is shown, the drive wheel control typicallyincludes a left and right drive wheel control 68 for respectivelycontrolling the driving rotation of the left and right drive wheels 18.A gear shift, ignition switch and other controls may be mounted on thecontrol panel although they are not shown in the figures. Throttle 74controls the speed or RPMs of engine 22 and consequently the speed ofrotation or RPMs of shaft 42 and sheave 44, which in the exemplaryembodiment is directly proportional to the RPMs of engine 22. Therotation of sheave 48, 50 and blade or blades 52 is thus also directlyproportional to the speed or RPMs of engine 22.

In the exemplary embodiment, wheels 20 are caster wheels which are thusrespectively part of left and right caster wheel assemblies. Each of thecaster wheel assemblies includes a pivot 76, a caster wheel bracket 70which is rigidly secured to and extends downwardly from pivot 76 and anaxle 80 about which each wheel 20 is rotatably mounted. Moreparticularly, pivot 76 typically includes a substantially cylindricalrod which is rotatably received within caster mount sleeve 31 of frame16 whereby the entire caster wheel assembly is rotatable about avertical axis X1 passing through pivot 76. Caster wheel bracket 78 is agenerally inverted U-shaped structure having a generally horizontalupper portion and a pair of spaced legs extending downwardly therefromwhereby axle 80 extends between the legs of the bracket so that eachwheel 20 is rotatable about a substantially horizontal axis.

In accordance with the invention, assembly 2 is mounted on frame 16, andin the exemplary embodiment is removably mounted thereon forward of rearwheels 18, engine 22, control assembly 24 and the operator positionshown at 25 or atop the seat or platform 26. FIGS. 1 and 2 show theattached or mounted position of assembly 2 while FIGS. 3 and 6 show adismounted or detached position of assembly 2. The primary components ofassembly 2 are a rigid hopper 82 formed primarily of metal and aconveyor assembly or conveyor belt assembly 84 which is secured tohopper 84 adjacent its lower end for discharging mulch or otherparticulate material from within hopper 82. Assembly 2 includes left andright rear mounting mechanisms 86 which are respectively mounted alongthe bottom of hopper 82 respectively adjacent the left and right endsthereof. Left and right front mounting mechanisms 88 are also providedfor mounting assembly 2 on frame 16. When assembly 2 is mounted on frame16, hopper 82 is fixed relative to the frame 16.

Each rear mounting mechanism 86 (FIG. 4) includes a rigid tubularmounting block 90 which is rigidly secured to and extends downwardlyfrom the bottom of hopper 82. Mechanism 86 further includes a rigidinverted U-shaped mounting bracket 92 which is rigidly secured to andextends downwardly from block 90 and includes a pair of spaceddownwardly extending legs 94. A rigid L-shaped mounting member 96 has ahorizontal first leg 98 and a second leg 100 which is secured to theouter end of leg 98 and extends perpendicularly therefrom. A rigid pin102 passes through a hole formed in leg 98 and extends radiallyoutwardly therefrom. A pair of rigid pins 104 (only one shown) aresecured to the mounting bracket 92 and extend downwardly about midwaybetween legs 94. A coil spring 106 encircles a portion of leg 98 andextends from the outer leg 94 to pin 102. Arrow A in FIG. 4 illustratesthat mounting member 96 is movable horizontally inwardly and outwardlybetween a securing or mounting position shown in solid lines and anunsecured position shown in dashed lines. More particularly, each oflegs 94 defines a hole through which leg 98 passes whereby leg 98 isslidable inwardly and outwardly and also rotatable (Arrow B) within saidholes.

In the secured position, the inner portion of leg 98 is positioneddirectly below the corresponding rail 28 and serves as a stop whichengages the bottom of rail 28 to prevent upward movement of assembly 2,thereby mounting assembly 2 on frame 16. When assembly 2 is mounted onrail 16, the bottom of hopper 18 is seated on the top of rails 28 andblocks 90 and/or the inner leg 94 is closely adjacent or abuts therespective rail to minimize or eliminate axial side to side movement ofhopper 82. In the unsecured position of mounting member 96, leg 98 iswithdrawn to the degree that it is no longer directly beneath rail 28whereby a sufficient upper force allows assembly 2 to be lifted upwardlyoff of frame 16. For convenience, the rotation of member 96 when pin 102moves beyond pins 104 with spring 106 compressed allows pin 102 toengage pins 104 whereby pin 102 and pins 104 serve as retaining membersto retain the locking member 96 in the unsecured position. Spring 106biases mounting member 96 to the secured position when pins 102 and 104do not engage one another. In the unsecured position, spring 106 biasespin 102 against retaining pins 104 within the notch formed in each pin104. When assembly 2 is used as a retrofit attachment, the mountingmechanism 86 thus provides a mounting mechanism which does not requireany alteration of the frame 16 or other portions of unit 1 which wouldvoid the manufacturer's warranty on the original unit. Thus, no holesneed to be drilled in the frame or other portions of unit 1 in order toattach assembly 2 to frame 16. In addition, rear mounting mechanism 86provides the ability to rapidly mount or dismount assembly 2 on frame16.

Each front mounting mechanism 88 (FIG. 5) includes a mounting member inthe form of a rigid vertical rod 108 which is rigidly secured via amounting bracket to the front of the lower portion of hopper 82 andextends downwardly below the bottom of the hopper to a bottom terminalend. Rod 108 is disposed within hole 38 when assembly 2 is attached toframe 16. Thus, rod 60 for mounting lower deck 4 must be removed fromhole 38 in order to insert rod 108 into hole 38. Mechanism 88 furtherincludes a rigid cylindrical sleeve 110 defining a vertical throughpassage or hole 112 which receives rod 108. The top of sleeve 110 abutsor is closely adjacent a downwardly facing surface of crossbar 30 at thebottom of hole 38 in the secured position to prevent upward movement ofrod 108 out of hole 38. Mechanism 108 further includes a threaded memberincluding a thread shaft 114 and an enlarged head 116 such that shaft114 threadedly engages a threaded hole 118 extending from the outersurface of sleeve 110 to the inner surface which defines hole 112. Head116 is typically knurled to facilitate the rotational threading ofthreaded member into or out of hole 118 by simple manual engagementwithout the use of tools. The rotation of the threaded member isillustrated at Arrow C in FIG. 5.

Thus, assembly 2 is attached to frame 16 by inserting each rod 108downwardly through a respective hole 38, then sliding sleeve 110upwardly from the bottom terminal end of rod 108 until the top of sleeve110 abuts or is closely adjacent the downwardly facing surface ofcrossbar 30. At this point, the threaded member is rotated by thethreaded engagement between shaft 114 and threaded hole 118 causes thetip of the shaft to engage the outer surface of rod 108 in order tosecure sleeve 110 on rod 108. Detachment of assembly 2 thus involves thereverse procedure in which the threaded member is unscrewed so thatsleeve 110 can be slid downwardly off of rod 108 and rod 108 may belifted upwardly out of hole 38. As with the rear mounting mechanism 86,front mounting mechanism 88 thus allows for the mounting and dismountingof assembly 2 on frame 16 without voiding a manufacturer's warranty bydrilling holes in the original unit or otherwise damaging the unit.Conveniently for temporary storage purposes, each sleeve 110 and thecorresponding threaded member may be mounted atop an upper end of thecorresponding rod 108 by sliding the sleeve over the upper end andtightening the screw to secure sleeve on rod 108, as illustrated in FIG.6. Although rod 108 is inserted through the same holes 38 which are usedto mount the mower deck via rods 60, other suitable mounting mechanismsmay be used.

In accordance with the invention, assembly 2 is mounted on frame 16, andin the exemplary embodiment is removably mounted thereon. The frontmounting mechanisms 88 are particularly configured for mounting assembly2 on the frame of a particular manufacturer's unit when the mower deck 4is removed therefrom. FIGS. 7 and 8 illustrate two alternate frontmounting mechanisms which are respectively configured for two otherspecific configurations of different manufacturers or models of theunit. More particularly, FIG. 7 illustrates an alternate front mountingmechanism which includes a mounting member in the form of a rigidtypically metal cylindrical sleeve 120 defining a vertical cylindricalpassage or hole 122 wherein sleeve 120 is secured to hopper 82 adjacentthe bottom thereof between a pair of rigid metal vertical mountingplates 124 of a mounting bracket whereby sleeve 120 is rigidly securedto hopper 82. In the mounted or attached position of assembly 2, castermount sleeve 31 is received within passage 122 of hopper mount sleeve120. Arrow D in FIG. 7 shows the upward and downward movement ofassembly 2 including sleeve 122 such that vertical upward movementthereof causes sleeve 120 to slide off of sleeve 31 to dismount assembly2 and downward vertical movement causes sleeve 120 to slide downwardlyover sleeve 31 to slidably receive sleeve 31 within hole 122 of sleeve120. As shown in FIG. 7, the rear mounting mechanism 86 is the same.

FIG. 8 illustrates that the frame of the unit includes a rigid fronthorizontal metal plate 126 which is generally adjacent and extendsbetween front wheels 120. A manufacturer's through hole 128 is formed inplate 126 extending from its top to its bottom. For the presentpurposes, a manufacturer's hole is defined herein as being a hole formedby the original manufacturer wherein the hole may have been used forpurposes of manufacturing or assembling the unit, but is not used in thefinal product. Thus, no portion of the original manufacturer's unitextends through hole 128. Where applicant's assembly 2 is a retrofitattachment, the configuration in FIG. 8 is intended to utilize themanufacturer's hole 128 and thereby once again avoid voiding themanufacturer's warranty by drilling additional holes or otherwisedamaging the original unit. The alternate front mounting mechanism shownin FIG. 8 includes a rigid mounting bracket 130 which is rigidly securedto the lower portion of hopper 82 and extends downwardly therefrom to abottom end from which an externally threaded rod or shaft 132 extendsdownwardly. Shaft 132 is inserted downwardly through hole 128 with thebottom of bracket 130 seated atop plate 126 and with an internallythreaded member in the form of a wing nut 134 threaded onto shaft 132 toabut the bottom of plate 126, thereby securing assembly 2 on the frameand prevent its upward movement therefrom. Preferably, wing nut 134includes relatively large wings which may be manually engaged for easyrotation of the wing nut (Arrow E) to tighten and loosen the nut onshaft 132 without the use of tools. Again, the configuration of FIG. 8retains the rear mounting mechanism 86. Advantageously, the use of rearmounting mechanism 86 with any of the front mounting mechanismsdiscussed above allows attachment 2 to be rapidly attached to or removedfrom frame 16.

Hopper 82 is now described with primary reference to FIGS. 1-3, 6 and9-11. Hopper 82 includes front and back side walls 136 and 138, and leftand right side walls 140 and 142 defining there within an interiorchamber 144 having a top entrance opening 146. Front side wall 136includes an upper vertical segment 148 and an angled lower segment 150which is secured to and angles rearwardly and downwardly from the bottomof vertical segment 148. Back side wall 138 includes a vertical uppersegment 152 and an angled lower segment 154 which is secured to andangles downwardly and forward from the bottom of vertical upper segment152. Left side wall 140 is substantially vertical and is secured to andextends between the left ends of front and back side walls 136 and 138.Right side wall 142 is also substantially vertical and is secured to andextends between the right ends of front and back side walls 136 and 138.Vertical upper segment 152 includes a vertical extension 155 whichextends upwardly beyond the tops of front side wall 136 and left andright side walls 140 and 142. Extension 155 thus adds additional heightto help prevent mulch or particulate material being loaded into theinterior chamber of hopper 82 from being thrown onto engine 22 and othercomponents rearward of extension 155.

A rectangular exit opening 156 is formed in right side wall 142 to allowmulch or other particulate material to exit there through from withininterior chamber 144. A flat vertical rectangular gate 158 is movablymounted on right side wall 142 in order to alter the size of exitopening 156 as desired. More particularly, side wall 142 includes a pairof vertical channels 160 which face one another and bound exit opening156 so that the front and rear edges of gate 158 are slidably receivedwithin the front and rear channels 160 respectively such that gate 158is manually vertically slidable up and down as indicated at Arrow F inFIG. 1. Channels 160, the bottom of gate 158 and the top of the conveyorbelt of assembly 84 thus define therebetween exit opening 156, the sizeof which is thus adjustable by moving gate 158 upwardly or downwardly. Aplurality of height adjustment holes 162 are formed in gate 158 and arevertically aligned and vertically spaced from one another. A securingmechanism including a rod 164 (FIGS. 10, 14, 16) is removably insertableinto a selected one of holes 162 to secure gate 158 at the desiredheight. Rod 164 may be a threaded rod which threadedly engages holes 162if they are internally threaded or may for instance be a spring biasedrod which is biased to be inserted into holes 162.

With primary reference to FIG. 2, a front entrance opening 166 is formedin upper segment 148 of front side wall 136 and extends downwardly froma horizontal top 168 of side wall 136. Entrance opening 166 has ahorizontal top 170 at the same height as top 168, a horizontal bottom172, a left side 174 adjacent left side wall 140 and a right side 176intermediate left and right side walls 140 and 142. A substantially flatdoor 178 is movably mounted on upper segment of hopper 82 and has ashape which is approximately the same as that of entrance opening 166.Door 178 has a horizontal top 180, a horizontal bottom 182, a left side184 and a right side 186. Door 178 is mounted adjacent bottom 182 by ahinge 188 whereby door 178 is pivotally movable about a horizontalaxially extending axis X2 between a closed position shown in FIG. 2 andan open position shown in dashed lines in FIG. 1. In the closedposition, top 180 is substantially coincident with top 170, bottom 182is substantially coincident with bottom 172, left side 184 issubstantially coincident with left side 174 and right side 186 issubstantially coincident with right side 176 whereby door 178 in theclosed position entirely covers entrance opening 166. Top 168 of frontside wall 136, top 170 of entrance opening 166 and top 180 of door 178when door 178 is closed are all at a height H1. Bottom 172 of entranceopening 166 is at a height H2 which is lower than height H1 so that whendoor 178 is pivoted to flip to its open position (FIG. 1), door 178hangs downwardly from hinge 188 so that bottom 182 of the door serves asthe top of the door in the open position while top 180 serves as thebottom of the door. It is noted that entrance opening 166 opens upwardlyat top 170 when door 178 is in the opened position whereby assembly 2 isfree of structure extending along the top of opening 166 from its leftside to its right side when door 178 is open. Thus, when door 178 isopened, entrance opening 166 provides access to the interior chamber ata height which is lower than height H1, thereby facilitating the loadingof mulch or other particulate material into the hopper through entranceopening or doorway 166. When door 178 is closed, filling the hopper fromthe front must be achieved by moving the particulate material over top168 or top 180 and thus above height H1 in order to enter interiorchamber 144.

A securing mechanism is provided to secure door 178 in the closedposition and includes a first latch 190 and second latch 192 (FIG. 10).First latch 190 is a channel-shaped member which receives a portion ofdoor 178 along top 180 thereof. First latch 190 is pivotally mounted atpivot 194 on front side wall 136 adjacent top 168 and top 170 and side176 of entrance opening 166. Second latch 192 is movably mounted on theinside of door 178 adjacent the left side 184 such that latch 192 isremovably insertable into a hole (not shown) formed in left side wall140 adjacent the top and front thereof. A coil spring 196 (FIG. 10)biases latch 192 to the secured position. The configuration of thesecuring mechanism provided by latch 192 is the same as or similar torear mounting mechanism 86.

Hopper 82 includes a conveyor assembly housing 198 which is secured tothe lower portions of side walls 136, 138, 140 and 142 and extendsdownwardly therefrom. Referring primarily to FIG. 14, housing 198 in theexemplary embodiment is formed from the single sheet of metal which isthen bent to provide a bottom wall 200, a front side wall 202 which issecured to and extends upwardly from the front of bottom wall 200, and aback side wall 204 which is secured to and extends upwardly from therear end of bottom wall 200. Walls 200, 202 and 204 define there withinan interior chamber 206 which opens upwardly to communicate withinterior chamber 144 whereby chambers 144 and 206 form a single chamber.

Front side wall 202 includes a lower vertical segment 208 which issecured to the front end of bottom wall 200 and extends upwardlytherefrom, and an angled upper segment 210 which is secured to the topof segment 208 and angles upwardly and forward therefrom parallel toangled segment 150 to an upper terminal end. Back side wall 204 alsoincludes a lower vertical segment 212 secured to the back end of bottomwall 200 extending upwardly therefrom, and an angled upper segment 214which angles upwardly and rearwardly parallel to angled segment 154 toan upper terminal end. Angled segment 210 adjacent its upper terminalend is secured to a spacer 216 which is secured to angled segment 150 ina position spaced upwardly of its lower terminal end so that angledsegments 210 and 150 are spaced from one another to define therebetweena front channel 218. Similarly, angled segment 214 adjacent its upperterminal end is secured to another spacer 216 which is secured to anglesegment 154 whereby angled segments 214 and 154 are spaced from oneanother to define there within a rear channel 220. Channels 218 and 220will be discussed further below. Housing 198 is thus rigidly secured tofront and back side walls 136 and 138 by spacers 216, which aretypically welded to the angled segments or otherwise rigidly securedthereto and extend from left side wall 140 to right side wall 142.Angled segments 210 and 214 are also rigidly secured at their left endsto left side wall 140 and that their right ends to right side wall 142.Housing 198 thus extends from adjacent left side wall 140 to adjacentright side wall 142 whereby channels 218 and 220 likewise extend fromadjacent side wall 140 to adjacent side wall 142.

Bottom wall 200 includes a recessed wall 222 which is spaced upwardlyfrom the bottom of the housing with a front foot 224 extendingdownwardly from the front of wall 222 and a back foot 226 extendingdownwardly from the back of wall 222. Front foot 224 is secured to thebottom of vertical segment 208 while back foot 226 is secured to thebottom of segment 212. Feet 224 and 226 define the bottom of housing 198and the bottom of hopper 82, which is seated on the top upwardly facingsurfaces of rails 28. Several longitudinal parallel strengthening ribs230 are disposed within recess 228 and axially spaced from one another,as best seen in FIG. 11. Each rib 230 typically has a tubular form andis rigidly secured to recessed wall 222 and feet 224 and 226. In theexemplary embodiment, when assembly 2 is mounted on frame 16, all ornearly all of hopper 82 is positioned directly above lower deck mountingspace 66 (or mower deck 4 if also mounted on frame 16), including thevarious side walls of hopper 82, gate 158, door 178 and housing 198.

Conveyor assembly 84 is now described in greater detail with primaryreference to FIG. 16. Assembly 84 includes a conveyor belt supportassembly which includes a first section 232 and a second or extensionsection 234. A flexible conveyor belt 236 is revolvably mounted on theconveyor assembly around sections 232 and 234. Section 232 includes aplurality of rigid parallel longitudinal support ribs 238 which areaxially spaced from one another within interior chamber 206 of housing198. Ribs 238 extend between and are rigidly secured to the upperportion of vertical segments 208 and 212 of housing 198. Ribs 238 thussubstantially strengthen housing 198 and provide support for belt 236.First section 232 further includes a rotatable idler roller 240 spacedto the left of ribs 238. Roller 240 is disposed in chamber 206 and isrotatably mounted on a roller carriage 242 having front and rear plateswhich are slidably received within carriage openings 244 formedrespectively in vertical segment 208 of front wall 202 (FIG. 2) andvertical segment 212 of back side wall 204 adjacent left side wall 140(FIGS. 9, 16). More particularly, carriage 242 is horizontally slidableback and forth to the right and to the left as indicated at Arrow H inFIGS. 2 and 9. Front and rear springs 246 are provided respectivelyalong openings 244 with their outer ends engaging the front and rearportions of carriage 242 respectively and their inner ends engaginghousing 198 of hopper 82 or another fixed structure such as one of ribs238 of first section 232. Springs 246 thus bias carriage 242 and roller240 axially in a direction away from the opposite end of the conveyorbelt support structure and opposite end of the conveyor belt. In thiscase, springs 246 bias carriage 242 and roller 240 to the left away fromribs 238.

First section 232 further includes axially elongated front and rearconveyor belt support planks 248 which are seated atop ribs 238 and onwhich conveyor belt 236 is supported. Planks 248 are typically formed ofa plastic material which reduces friction between conveyor belt 236 andplanks 248 during the sliding engagement therebetween when belt 236 isrevolved. Each flat horizontal plank 248 has a left end which isadjacent carriage 242 and roller 240 and extends therefrom to an opposedright end which is adjacent and outward to the right of right side wall142 of hopper 82. Thus, the right portion of each plank 48 extendsoutwardly beyond interior chambers 144 and 206. Planks 248 arelongitudinally spaced from one another a short distance to definetherebetween an axially elongated straight slot 250 extending from theleft end to the right end of planks 248.

The second or extension section 234 is now described in greater detailwith continued reference to FIG. 16 and additional reference to FIGS. 2and 9-12. Section 234 includes front and back parallel axial beams 252and 254, and several longitudinal support ribs 256 which are axiallyspaced from one another. Ribs 256 extend between and are rigidly securedto beams 252 and 254, thereby providing a rigid structure which ispivotally mounted on first section 232 to pivot about a longitudinalhorizontal axis X3 (FIG. 10) passing through a pivot 258. Pivot 258 andaxis X3 are thus adjacent and to the right of side wall 142 external tointerior chambers 144 and 206. Pivot 258 is also adjacent the right endof first section 232 opposite the end from which roller 240 is mounted,and adjacent the inner or left end of second section 234 opposite theouter end thereof adjacent which another roller 260 is rotatably mountedon beams 252 and 254. Rollers 240 and 260 rotate about respectivehorizontal parallel longitudinally extending axes parallel to axis X3(FIG. 10). Pivot 258 is mounted on pivot mounts 259 (FIG. 11) which aresecured to and extend outwardly from vertical segments 208 and 212 ofhousing 198.

Second section 234 further includes a pair of flat horizontal axiallyelongated support planks 262 which are typically formed of the samematerial as and arranged in the same manner as planks 248 of firstsection 232 such that planks 262 are seated atop support ribs 256 andhave top surfaces which the bottom of the conveyor belt slidably engagesduring operation. The front and rear support planks 262 are aligned withthe front and rear planks 248 as viewed from the right or left sidewhereby the straight front planks 248 and 262 together form a flathorizontal axially elongated straight support extending from adjacentdriven roller 240 to adjacent drive roller 260. Similarly, the straightrear planks 248 and 262 form a flat horizontal axially elongatedstraight support from adjacent lower 240 to adjacent lower 260. Supportplanks 262 are longitudinally spaced from one another a short distancein the same manner as planks 248 to define therebetween a straightaxially elongated slot 264 (FIG. 14) which is aligned with slot 250whereby slots 250 and 264 form a single straight slot extending in theaxial direction from adjacent roller 240 to adjacent roller 260. As bestseen in FIG. 18, each plank 262 has an inner beveled end 266 and eachplank 248 has an outer beveled end 268 disposed outwardly of interiorchambers 144 and 206 external to and to the right of right side wall142. In the extended operational position of extension section 234 andconveyor assembly 84 shown in FIGS. 16 and 18, beveled edges 266 and 268are positioned adjacent and outwardly beyond pivot 258. In thisposition, beveled ends 266 and 268 abut one another and have a matingconfiguration. In this position, beveled edges 266 and 268 angle axiallyoutwardly and downwardly away from the hopper from their respective topsurfaces to their respective bottom surfaces.

Conveyor belt 236 is now described in greater detail with primaryreference to FIGS. 14 and 16. Belt 236 includes a flat sheet 270 whichis the primary component of the belt and which has front and backparallel edges 272 and 274 extending in the axial direction fromadjacent roller 240 to roller 260. Sheet 270 has an outer surface 276and an inner surface 278. The upper portion of sheet 270 which extendsfrom the top of roller 240 to the top of roller 260 is substantiallyflat such that outer surface 276 thereof serves as its top surface whichis substantially horizontal and faces upwardly in the extended positionof the conveyor assembly. The inner surface 278 of this upper portion ofbelt 236 serves as its bottom downwardly facing surface which is seatedatop planks 248 and 262 and slidably engages the same during therevolving movement of the belt. The lower portion of sheet 270 whichextends from the bottom of roller 240 to the bottom of roller 260 isalso substantially horizontal whereby the inner surface 278 thereofserves its top upwardly facing surface and the outer surface 276 thereofserves as its bottom downwardly facing surface. Belt 236 furtherincludes longitudinally elongated blades 280 which are secured to outersurface 276 and extend outwardly therefrom whereby blades 280 extendupwardly from the upper section of sheet 270 and downwardly from thelower section of sheet 270. Blades 280 do not extend all the way acrosssheet 270, but rather have opposed ends which are adjacent and spacedlongitudinally inwardly respectively from front and back edges 272 and274. The upper terminal edges of blades 80 are substantially horizontal.

Belt 236 further includes a tongue 282 which is secured to inner surface278 and extends outwardly therefrom in the direction opposite blades 280midway between front and back edges 272 to 274. Tongue 282 extendsaxially all the way around the belt and is configured for a matingengagement within a groove 284 formed in each of rollers 240 and 260.Groove 284 thus divides each of rollers 240 and 260 into first andsecond cylindrical segments 286 and 288 having the same diameter withgroove 284 therebetween. The use of tongue 282 within grooves 284 of therollers thus eliminates or substantially minimizes the longitudinalmovement of conveyor belt 236 during its revolving movement. It is notedthat the conveyor belt may be formed with a groove while the rollers areformed with a tongue which is inserted in the groove of the belt toprovide a similar effect. Inner surface 278 of sheet 270 engages thecylindrical outer surfaces of segments 286 and 288 of each roller 240and 260. The outer surfaces of segments 286 and 288 of roller 260 aretypically knurled or otherwise roughened to increase the frictionalengagement with the inner surface 278 inasmuch as roller 260 is thedrive roller of the assembly, whereas roller 240 is a driven rollerdriven by belt 236. A hydraulic motor 290 is secured to rear axial beam254 adjacent its outer end and has a rotatable drive shaft 292rotationally connected to drive roller 260 in order to drive rotation ofroller 260. Motor 290 is thus carried by section 234 and is part of ahydraulic system described in greater detail further below.

With primary reference now to FIGS. 2 and 10, front and rear chute walls294 are mounted on and extend between side wall 142 and respective axialbeams 252 and 254 of extension section 234. More particularly, chutewalls 294 are, in the extended position of extension 234, substantiallyflat, vertical and lie substantially within respective vertical parallelplanes which extend in the axial direction. In the extended position,chute walls 294 are thus parallel and respectively forward and rearwardof and adjacent exit opening 156. Chute walls 294 have bottom edges 296which are respectively secured to beams 252 and 254 by respectivemounting brackets 298. Chute walls 294 also have respective inner edges300 which are secured to side wall 142 by respective mounting brackets302. Each chute wall 294 has an angled upper edge 304 which anglesaxially outwardly and downwardly from the inner end to the outer end ofchute wall 294 and thus from adjacent side wall 142 and the top ofbracket 302 to adjacent the outer end of the respective beam 252 or 254and the outer end of the respective mounting bracket 298. Chute walls294 are triangular as viewed in the longitudinal direction in theextended position. The upper section of conveyor belt 236 of extension234 and chute walls 294 together form a chute 306 which extends axiallyoutwardly away from side wall 142 and exit opening 156 whereby chute 306is configured for carrying mulch or other particulate material axiallyoutwardly away from exit opening 156 and interior chamber 144. Eachchute wall 294 in the exemplary embodiment is formed of a flexiblematerial, typically rubber or another elastomer.

Referring now to FIGS. 10 and 16, a flexible flap 308 is provided withininterior chamber 144 adjacent its left end and thus opposite from exitopening 156. Flap 308 has an upper edge 310 which is secured to leftside wall 140 such that flap 308 hangs downwardly therefrom to aterminal lower edge 312 which is seated atop conveyor belt 236 adjacentand above roller 240. As shown in FIG. 10, flap 308 has front and rearedges 314 and 316 which respectively angle upwardly and outwardly fromlower edge 312 to upper edge 310 and are respectively closely adjacentor abut angle segments 150 and 154 of hopper 82. Flap 308 is typicallyformed of a rubber or other elastomer. Flap 308 adjacent lower end 312slidably engages conveyor belt 236 during operation.

Referring now to FIGS. 10 and 14-16, front and rear axially elongatedsealing strips 318 and 320 are respectively disposed within front andrear channels 218 and 220. Strips 318 and 320 are typicallysubstantially rigid and formed of a plastic material which is similar toor the same as that of planks 248 and 262. In one embodiment, thismaterial is high density polyethylene (HDPE) although other suitableplastic or other materials may be used. Each of the sealing strips has aleft end 322 adjacent left side wall 140 and adjacent the left ends ofthe respective channels 218 and 220. The strips also have respectiveright ends 324 adjacent right side wall 142 and the rights ends of therespective channels 218 and 220. Each strip 318 and 320 has top andbottom edges 326 and 328 which are substantially horizontal as viewed inthe longitudinal direction and extend from left end 322 to right end324. Each of the strips has an inner surface 330 and an outer surface332. Inner surfaces 330 face upwardly and bound interior chamber 144while outer surfaces 332 face generally downwardly away from interiorchamber 144. Each of strips 318 and 320 is substantially flat andpositioned at an angle whereby inner and outer surfaces 330 and 332 areangled relative to horizontal.

As viewed in the axial direction and as best shown in FIG. 15, rearstrip 320 is angled upwardly and rearwardly whereby parallel inner andouter surfaces 330 and 332 likewise angle upwardly and rearwardlywhereby surface 330 faces upwardly and forward and surface 332 facesdownwardly and rearward. Rear strip 320 is slidably mounted withinchannel 220 generally upwardly and downwardly (Arrow J) at an angleparallel to surfaces 330, 332 and to angled segments 154 and 214.Surface 330 thus slidably engages segment 154 and surface 332 slidablyengages segment 214 during the sliding movement of strip 320. Typically,strip 320 is angled upwardly at about a 45-degree angle and bottom edge328 is also beveled at about a 45-degree angle such that bottom edge 328is substantially horizontal and seated atop the upper surface 276 ofsheet 270 of belt 236 whereby there is a sliding engagement betweenbottom edge 328 and surface 276 adjacent back edge 274 during revolvingmovement of belt 236. Springs 334 such as coil springs may be positionedwithin channel 220 with an upper end of the spring engaging the loweredge of spacer 26 and the lower end of the spring engaging the top edge326 of member 320, thereby biasing strip 320 downwardly toward andagainst belt 236. Otherwise, strips move downwardly along theirrespective angles under force of gravity.

Front sealing strip 318 is substantially a mirror image of rear strip320 and operates in the same manner although strip 318 is angled in theopposite direction from strip 320. Thus, inner and outer surfaces 330and 332 of strip 318 angle upwardly and forward so that surface 330faces upwardly and rearward and bounds chamber 144 while surface 332thereof faces downwardly and forward away from chamber 144. Surfaces 330and 332 of front seal 318 respectively slidably engage angled segments150 and 210. Beveled bottom edge 328 of front strip 318 slidably engagessurface 276 of belt 236 adjacent front edge 272. Sealing strips 318 and320 thus provide a sealing engagement with surface 276 of conveyor belt236. This sealing engagement thus substantially eliminates or minimizesthe degree of leakage of particles from particulate material within theinterior chamber of hopper 82 from moving from within the hopper betweenbelts 236 and strips 318 and 320 such that such debris or particleswould move outwardly beyond the edges 272 and 274 of conveyor belt 236,thereby preventing or minimizing such debris or particles from enteringchamber 206 of housing 198 and contacting the various components belowthe upper horizontal section of conveyor belt 236, such as planks 248and 262 pivot 258, rollers 240 and 260 and the corresponding axles andbearings associated therewith.

Referring primarily to FIG. 2, a linear actuator 336 is provided formoving the extension portion of conveyor belt assembly 84 between anextended position shown in FIG. 2 and a retracted position shown in FIG.21. In the exemplary embodiment, actuator 336 is a piston-cylindercombination wherein the cylinder is pivotally mounted at a pivot 338 onhopper 82 via a mounting bracket secured to the hopper. The piston ofactuator 336 is pivotally mounted at pivot 340 to the extension sectionof assembly 84 via a mounting bracket secured to axial beam 252. Anelectric motor 342 is mounted on the cylinder for powering the actuationof actuator 336, more particularly to extend and retract the pistonthereof to facilitate pivotal movement of the extension of assembly 84.Electric motor 342 is in electrical communication with switch 72 and abattery of engine 22, which provides electric power for operation ofmotor 342.

With primary reference to FIGS. 9, 9A and 13, the hydraulic system ofattachment 2 is now described. As previously noted, the hydraulic systemincludes the hydraulic motor 290. The hydraulic system is self-containedand in the exemplary embodiment is mounted entirely on attachment 2whereby the hydraulic system is removable from the frame 16 withattachment 2. The hydraulic system also includes a hydraulic pump 344(FIG. 13) which is mounted below the bottom of housing 198 of hopper 82.The hydraulic system further includes a hydraulic tank or reservoir 346rigidly mounted on housing 198 of hopper 82. Reservoir 346 defines aninterior chamber 347 for containing hydraulic fluid 349 which is pumpedthroughout the system. Pump 344 has a pump outlet 348 and a pump inlet350. Hydraulic motor 290 has a motor outlet 352 and a motor inlet 354. Ahydraulic feed line 356 is connected at its upstream end to pump outlet348 and at its downstream end to motor inlet 354. A return line 358 isconnected at its upstream end to motor outlet 352 and at its downstreamend to pump inlet 350. Feed line 356 includes a first or upstreamsegment 360 and a second or downstream segment 362. Return line 358includes a first or upstream segment 364 and a second or downstreamsegment 366. The hydraulic system further includes a T-connector 368, arelief valve 370, a conduit 372 and an exchange connector 374. Exchangeconnector 374 includes a convergence chamber wall 376 which defines aconvergence chamber 378, an exchange leg 380 which defines an exchangepassage 382, an input leg 384 which defines an input passage 386 and anoutput leg 388 which defines an output passage 390. First segment 360 atits upstream end is connected to outlet 348 and at its downstream end toan inlet of T-connector 368. Downstream segment 362 is connected at itsupstream end to an outlet of T-connector 368 and at its downstream endto motor inlet 354. First segment 364 at its upstream end is connectedto motor outlet 352 and at its downstream end to input leg 384 ofconnector 374. Second segment 366 at its upstream end is connected tooutput leg 388 of connector 374 and at its downstream end to inlet 350of pump 344. In the exemplary embodiment, segments 360, 362, 364 and 366are flexible hoses while T-connector 368 and exchange connector 374 aretypically rigid structures which are usually formed of metal.T-connector 368 includes an outlet which is connected to and in fluidcommunication with relief valve 370. Conduit 372 extends between and isconnected to relief valve 370 and hydraulic tank 346 to provide fluidcommunication therebetween. Relief valve 370 is configured to releasehydraulic fluid in the case of an overpressure situation within thehydraulic system whereby hydraulic fluid typically does not flow betweenconnector 368 and reservoir 346 via valve 370 under normal operatingcircumstances.

In typical hydraulic systems, the reservoir has an inlet and a separateoutlet such that under normal operations, hydraulic fluid is pumped intothe reservoir via the inlet and out of the reservoir via the outlet. Thehydraulic system of the present invention is configured to avoid thistype of configuration and operation, and substantially minimizes theamount of hydraulic fluid needed within the system. To that effect, thepresent hydraulic system includes exchange connector 374. Connector 374is positioned adjacent and below reservoir 346 such that exchange leg380 is connected to and extends between chamber wall 376 and the bottomwall of reservoir 346 whereby exchange passage 382 provides fluidcommunication between convergence chamber 378 and interior chamber 347of tank 346. Input leg 384 is connected to and extends upstream fromchamber wall 376 such that input passage 386 is in fluid communicationwith and extends upstream from convergence chamber 378. Output leg 388is connected to and extends downstream from chamber wall 376 such thatoutput passage 390 is in fluid communication with and extends in thedownstream direction from convergence chamber 378. In the exemplaryembodiment, each of legs 384 and 388 extends perpendicular to exchangeleg 380 whereby each of passages 386 and 390 also extend perpendicularto exchange passage 382. Input and output legs 384 and 388 definetherebetween an obtuse fluid exchange angle K (FIG. 13) such thathydraulic fluid which enters the input leg from segment 364 is exchangedwith hydraulic fluid in interior chamber 347 of the reservoir 346 viaexchange passage 382. Angle K typically falls within the range of about165 to 175 degrees, usually within the range of about 168 to 173degrees, and in the exemplary embodiment is in the range of about 170 to171 degrees.

As illustrated in FIGS. 9 and 13, the feed flow direction of thehydraulic fluid flow in the hydraulic feed lines from pump 344 to motor290 is shown at Arrows FF whereas the return flow direction of hydraulicfluid flow in the return lines is illustrated at Arrows FR. FIG. 13 alsoshows at Arrow FD1 the fluid flow direction of hydraulic fluid withininput passage 386 and immediately upstream thereof, and at Arrow FD2 thefluid flow direction of hydraulic fluid within output passage 390 andimmediately downstream thereof. Fluid direction FD1 and FD2 also definetherebetween obtuse angle K. It has been shown that the fluid flowassociated with the fluid exchange angle K causes fluid exchange betweenchamber 347 of reservoir 346 and convergence chamber 378. Moreparticularly, FIG. 9A illustrates such an exchange at Arrows FE1 andFE2, wherein Arrow FE1 indicates fluid flowing from chamber 378 intochamber 347 and Arrow FE2 illustrates fluid flowing from chamber 347into chamber 378. Although this fluid exchange occurs, the predominantflow of hydraulic fluid nonetheless is directly through input passage384, chamber 376 and output passage 390. Although the fluid dynamicshave not been specifically investigated, it may be that the fluid flowdue to angle K creates a vortex leading to the above-noted fluidexchange.

Referring now to FIGS. 9 and 9B, reservoir 346 is described in greaterdetail. Reservoir 346, all of which is directly above space 66 whenassembly 2 is mounted on frame 16, includes a top wall 392, a bottomwall 394, a left end wall 396, a right end wall 398, a front wall 400and a back wall 402. A fill tube 404 is mounted on the reservoiradjacent top wall 392 with a closure cap 406 provided which may beremoved in order to fill the tank with hydraulic fluid and securedthereon in order to provide a seal between the interior chamber andexternal atmosphere in order to provide a closed hydraulic system. Eachof the above-noted walls of reservoir 346 is typically substantiallyflat and made of metal. Preferably, the metal of which the walls areformed is aluminum or an alloy formed primarily of aluminum. As shown inFIG. 9B, front wall 400 abuts vertical segment 212 of back side wall 204of housing 198. Preferably, the outer or front surface of wall 400 is insubstantially continuous contact from top to bottom and from the leftend to the right end with the outer or rear surface of vertical segment212 in order to provide the greatest degree of contact between wall 400of reservoir and segment 212 of hopper 82. Wall 400 and segment 212 arethereby in thermal communication with one another in order to providesubstantial thermal exchange therebetween. Thus, when hydraulic fluid349 is heated during its work when pumped through the hydraulic systemby pump 344 through motor 290, hopper 82 serves as a heat sink such thatheat from hydraulic fluid is transmitted through wall 400 to segment 212so that this heat may be dissipated relatively rapidly through thevarious walls of hopper 82. Hopper 82 serves as a good heat sink in thatwall 400 of reservoir 346 and the various walls of hopper 82 are formedof good thermal conductors. More particularly, like the walls ofreservoir 346, the various walls of hopper 82 are formed of metal andpreferably of aluminum or an aluminum alloy which is primarily aluminum.These thermally conductive metal walls of hopper 82 include front andback side walls 136 and 138, left and right side walls 140 and 142,bottom wall 200 and front and back side walls 202 and 204 of housing198, and spacers 216.

With primary reference to FIG. 13, hydraulic pump 344 includes arotatable drive shaft 408 upon which a sheave 410 (FIGS. 11-12) issecurely mounted to rotate with shaft 408. In the exemplary embodiment,sheave 410 is configured for use with sheave 44 (FIG. 1) and belt 46such that engine 22 powers the rotation of drive sheave 44 to causerotation of sheave 410 and shaft 408 via belt 46, thereby causing pump344 to pump the hydraulic fluid through the hydraulic system. Pump 344is secured to a pump mounting bracket 412 which is pivotally mounted topivot about a vertical axis passing through a pivot 414 which is mountedon housing 198 via a pivot mounting bracket 416 secured to verticalsegment 208 of front side wall 202. A lever 418 is secured to bracket412 adjacent pivot 414 and extends away from pivot 414 in a directionopposite that of bracket 412. A spring 420 is mounted on pump 344 via afirst connector 422 at one end of the spring and on the hopper via asecond connector 424 to which the other end of the spring is connected.More particularly, first connector 422 is mounted on the pump housingand second connector 424 is secured to one of ribs 230.

Pivot 424 is offset from drive shaft 408 (which rotates about a verticalaxis) whereby pump 344, shaft 408, sheave 410, bracket 412 and lever 418are pivotable about the vertical axis of pivot 414 between an engagedposition (FIGS. 1 and 11) in which belt 46 engages and wraps aroundsheave 410 and sheave 44 and a disengaged position in which belt 46 isdisengaged from sheave 410 to facilitate the mounting and dismounting ofbelt 46 from sheave 410. To facilitate the mounting and dismounting ofbelt 46, the user may apply a force as shown at Arrow L in FIG. 12 tolever 418 to pivot the pump assembly about pivot 414 (Arrow M) from theengaged position to the disengaged position. Spring 420 biases the pumpassembly to the engaged position of FIG. 11, whereby the force on thehandle or lever 418 must overcome the spring bias of spring 420 to movethe assembly from the engaged position to the disengaged position.Because the pump itself is pivotally mounted about pivot 414, flexiblehoses forming segments 360 and 366 of the hydraulic lines flex duringthe movement between the engaged and disengaged positions as illustratedin FIGS. 11 and 12.

When assembly 2 is mounted on frame 16, a majority of the conveyor beltsupport assembly and conveyor belt 236 are positioned directly abovemower deck mounting space 66 including all of section 232 and the innerportion of section 234, as well as pivot 258. Thus, all of ribs 238 andplanks 248 are entirely directly above space 66, as are sealing strips318 and 320. During the mounting of assembly 2 on frame 16, assembly 2is lowered into position atop frame 16 such that sheave 410 movesdownwardly through space 32 via the top and bottom entrance openings 34and 36 thereof (FIG. 3) from a position above rails 28 and space 32shown in FIGS. 3 and 6 to the mounted position shown in FIGS. 1 and 2whereby in the exemplary embodiment, sheave 410 is adjacent or withinthe same space occupied by sheave 48 when deck 4 is mounted on frame 16.When assembly 2 is mounted on frame 16, sheave 410 is thus adjacent orwithin space 66 while the other components of the hydraulic pumpassembly are within or adjacent and directly above space 66, includingbracket 412, pivot 414 and lever 418. Portions of the hydraulic pumpassembly may also be within space 32 when assembly 2 is mounted on frame16. During the dismounting or detaching of assembly 2 from frame 16,sheave 410 and the various components of the hydraulic pump assemblyjust described move upwardly from their mounted positions from adjacentspace 66 upwardly through space 32 via entrance openings 34 and 36 to aposition upwardly of rails 28 and space 32.

The operation of assembly 2 is now described with primary reference toFIGS. 19-22. As noted previously, assembly 2 may be operated while unit1 is moving or when its travel is stopped. After the operator has turnedon engine 22, he or she may push button 70 (Arrow N in FIG. 19) toinitiate the operation of hydraulic pump 344, which is driven by therotation of shaft 408 and sheave 410, and thus is powered by engine 22via sheave 44 (FIG. 1), belt 46 and sheave 410. More particularly, themanipulation of button 70 is used to cause a clutch (not shown) ofengine 22 to engage in order to drive rotation of shaft 408 in sheave410. The operation of pump 344 thus pumps hydraulic fluid through thefeed line to hydraulic motor 290 to drive rotation of roller 260 (ArrowO in FIG. 20) and thereby drive the revolving movement of conveyor belt236. The horizontal axial movement of the bottom section of conveyorbelt 236 is shown at Arrow P in FIG. 20. Arrows Q in FIG. 20 illustratethe horizontal axial movement of the top section of the conveyor belt aswell as the horizontal axial movement of mulch or other particulatematerial 426 along the top section of the conveyor belt to dischargematerial 426 from within chamber 144 through exit opening 156 onto theextension section of the conveyor assembly within chute 306, and ArrowsR illustrate material 426 being discharged or thrown outwardly from theend of the extension of the conveyor assembly so that the particulatematerial 426 falls to the ground. Conveyor belt 36 is thus operated whenthe conveyor assembly is in the extended operational position of FIG.20, during which time sections 232 and 234 are fixed relative to frame16.

As shown in FIG. 19, clutch 74 may be moved back and forth (Arrow S) toincrease or decrease the speed or RPMs of engine 22 and thecorresponding speed of rotation of shaft 42, sheave 44 (FIG. 1), sheave410 and shaft 408, whereby pump 344 pumps fluid at a slower or fasterrate to consequently decrease or increase the rotation of roller 260 andthe revolving speed of conveyor belt 236. Throttle 74 may be operated todecrease the revolving speed of conveyor belt 236 to the degree thatparticulate material 426 essentially falls straight downwardly fromadjacent the end of the extension of the conveyor assembly and maylikewise be increased to thrown or shoot particulate material 426outwardly beyond the end of the chute up to, for instance, a distance ofabout three to three and a half feet in the exemplary embodiment.Throttle 74 may thus also be positioned to throw material 426 to anydesired distance within this range. Thus, while the conveyor assembly isin the extended position shown in FIG. 20, unit 1 may be driven oroperated to travel as desired (primarily forward) while simultaneouslythrowing the particulate material 426 in desired locations. This isparticularly useful for throwing mulch onto garden beds and the like.Gate 158 may be manually moved upwardly or downwardly and secured inposition as desired to set the desired size of entrance opening 156suited to a given scenario.

In the exemplary embodiment, the top portion of conveyor belt 236 movesin a single horizontal axial direction (Arrows P) so that material 426likewise moves in this single direction along the top of the conveyorbelt, thereby allowing better control of the material 426 as opposed toa broadcast spreader or other spreading devices which are configured fora widespread distribution. Material 426 is thus thrown directly off theend of conveyor 236 adjacent roller 260, the outer end of chute 306 andthe outer end of section 234 whereby material moves directly from theconveyor belt through the air and onto the ground without additionalmanipulation by additional components after exiting the conveyor belt.Although the Figures illustrate that hopper 82 is formed with the exitopening 156 on the right side and the extension 234 extending outwardlyto the right in order to discharge material 426 to the right, hopper 82may easily be configured in the opposite manner such that material 426is thrown to the left side. Thus, the conveyor assembly is configured todischarge material 426 in a direction which is substantiallyperpendicular to the direction of forward travel of unit 1. In eithercase, assembly 2 is configured to discharge material 426 from withinhopper 82 with only a single conveyor belt 236, thus providing a simpleand low cost configuration.

When the user no longer desires to discharge particulate material 426from within hopper 82, the extension section of conveyor assembly 84 maybe moved from the substantially horizontal extended operational positionshown in FIG. 20 to the retracted stored position shown in FIG. 21. Toachieve this, the operator may flip switch 72 (Arrow T in FIG. 19) fromthe neutral position shown in solid lines to one of the positions shownin dashed lines, thereby typically closing an electrical circuit tooperate motor 342 to retract the piston of actuator 336 (Arrow U in FIG.21) and thereby retract the extension section of the assembly by pivotalmovement (Arrow V) about pivot 258 and the horizontal axis thereof. Theouter end of the extension of the conveyor assembly 84, including roller260 and motor 290, thus pivot upwardly and inwardly toward hopper 82from the extended position to the retracted position. The extensionsection pivots from the extended to the retracted position at least 45,50 or 55 degrees, typically at least 60 or 65 degrees and usually withinthe range of about 60 to 90 degrees.

Chute walls 294 fold up to a folded position in response to thisretracting movement of the extension of assembly 84. As the extension ofassembly 84 pivots upwardly toward the retracted position, conveyor belt236 loosens around the support assembly whereby springs 246 expand andforce carriage 242 with roller 240 away from the opposite end of theassembly adjacent roller 260 and away from exit opening 256 and theopposite side of hopper 82 (Arrow W). To reverse this process, theoperator may simply flip switch 72 into the other of the dashed linepositions shown in FIG. 19 to operate motor 342 to extend the piston ina direction opposite Arrow U and thereby cause the extension section topivot downwardly in the direction opposite Arrow V to move the extensionfrom the retracted position of FIG. 21 to the extended position of FIG.20. Thus, chute walls 294 unfold and straighten into their unfoldedsubstantially flat vertical positions in response to the movement of theextension section from the retracted position to the extended position.When the extension of conveyor assembly 84 is moved from the retractedstored position to the extended operational position, belt 236 tightensand presses against roller 240, thereby moving roller 240 and carriage242 against the spring bias of springs 246 such that springs 246 arecompressed. Thus, springs 246 maintains conveyor belt 236 in asufficiently tightened position in the extended position of theextension of conveyor assembly 84. It is noted that in the retractedstored position of the conveyor assembly, conveyor belt 236 is notrevolvable and thus is inoperable due to the slackness of belt 236.

The retraction of the extension section thus provides a narrower axialprofile of assembly 2 and of unit 1. This is illustrated by thecomparison of FIGS. 2 and 21. More particularly, as shown in FIG. 2, theleft side 12 of assembly 2, hopper 82 and unit 1 and the extended rightside 14 defined by the outer end of the extension of assembly 84 definetherebetween an axial horizontal width W1 of assembly 2 and unit 1. Inthe retracted position of FIG. 21, left side 12 and a retracted leftside 14A defined by the outer end of the extension of assembly 84 definetherebetween an axial horizontal width W2 of assembly 2 and unit 1 whichis substantially less than width W1. Width W2 is typically within arange of about 60 or 65% to about 85% of W1 and usually in a range ofabout 65 or 70% to about 75, 80, or 85%.

FIGS. 18 and 22 respectively illustrate the conveyor assembly adjacentpivot 258 in the extended position and the retracted position. Aspreviously discussed, beveled ends 266 and 268 are closely adjacent orabut one another in the extended position. In addition, planks 248 and262 are parallel with their top surfaces substantially coplanar andtheir bottom surfaces substantially coplanar. In the retracted positionof FIG. 22, end 266 is separated and spaced from end 268 such that end266 is higher than and axially inwardly to the left of end 268 and thushigher than and to the left of its position in the extended position ofFIG. 18. In addition, planks 262 move from a substantially horizontalposition in the extended position to an upwardly extending positionwhich is closer to vertical than to horizontal in the retracted positionsuch that the top and bottom surfaces of planks 262 are no longercoplanar with the top and bottom surfaces of planks 248 respectively,but rather angled upwardly and axially outwardly relative thereto. FIG.18 also shows that the conveyor belt upper and lower sections are intheir entirety substantially horizontal in the extended position whereasin the retracted position, the upper and lower segments of conveyor belt236 within hopper 82 remain substantially horizontal and thecorresponding sections of the extension portion extend upwardly whileportions of the conveyor belt therebetween are curved adjacent pivot258.

In summary, the present invention provides a self-propelled unitincluding a functional assembly or attachment which may be permanentlysecured to the unit or removably attached. In the exemplary embodiment,the assembly comprises a hopper and conveyor assembly for respectivelycontaining particulate material and discharging particulate materialfrom within the hopper whereby the unit is configured for throwing mulchor other particulate material in a controlled manner as desired ontogarden beds or elsewhere. The attachment of the present invention may berapidly mounted on or detached from the frame of a self-propelled unit,no tools are required to effect this mounting or dismounting, and nowarranty-voiding alteration is required to the original unit on whichthe attachment may be mounted as a retrofit attachment. Inasmuch asassembly 2 is configured to be mounted atop the frame of theself-propelled unit as opposed to being towed thereby, assembly 2 is inthe exemplary embodiment free of ground engaging wheels or a hitchmember for hitching to a hitch member of a self-propelled unit fortowing. Although the unit may be configured to simultaneously carrymower deck 4 and assembly 2, mower deck 4 is typically removed fromframe 16 when assembly 2 is mounted thereon to reduce the weight of theunit. Mower decks of the type shown in the Figures often weigh on theorder of about 350 pounds. In the exemplary embodiment, assembly 2 has aweight of about 150 pounds.

In the foregoing description, certain terms have been used for brevity,clearness, and understanding. No unnecessary limitations are to beimplied therefrom beyond the requirement of the prior art because suchterms are used for descriptive purposes and are intended to be broadlyconstrued.

Moreover, the description and illustration of the invention is anexample and the invention is not limited to the exact details shown ordescribed.

1. An attachment for use with a self-propelled outdoor power equipmentunit comprising a frame, an engine mounted on the frame, and drivewheels rotatably mounted on the frame and powered by the engine, theattachment comprising: a hopper which defines an interior chamber and isadapted to be removably mounted on the frame; and a conveyor beltsupport assembly; a conveyor belt revolvably mounted on the supportassembly for discharging particulate material from the interior chamber;a first section of the support assembly; a second section of the supportassembly which is movable relative to the first section of the supportassembly between an operational position and a stored position.
 2. Theattachment of claim 1 further comprising: a pivot about which the secondsection is pivotally movable relative to the first section.
 3. Theattachment of claim 2 wherein the second section is pivotally movable atleast 45 degrees relative to the first section.
 4. The attachment ofclaim 1 wherein in the operational position the attachment has left andright sides defining therebetween a first horizontal width; and in thestored position the attachment has left and right sides definingtherebetween a second horizontal width which is less than the firsthorizontal width.
 5. The attachment of claim 1 further comprising: aroller carriage which is mounted on and movable relative to one of thefirst and second sections; a first rotatable roller which is rotatablymounted on the roller carriage and around which the conveyor belt isrevolvably mounted; a tensioning spring which biases the roller carriageand first roller in a first direction; a second rotatable roller whichis carried by the other of the first and second sections and aroundwhich the conveyor belt is revolvably mounted; wherein in response tomovement of the second section relative to the first section from thestored position to the operational position, the conveyor belt tightensand moves the roller carriage and first roller in a second directionopposite the first direction.
 6. The attachment of claim 1 furthercomprising: an exit opening of the hopper through which the particulatematerial is dischargeable during operation of the conveyor belt; anextension portion of the conveyor belt which extends from adjacent theexit opening away from the hopper and which is supported by the secondsection; a pair of spaced chute walls extending upwardly along theextension portion so that the extension portion and chute walls togetherform a chute extending from adjacent the exit opening outwardly awayfrom the hopper; wherein the chute walls are movable between chute walloperational and stored positions.
 7. The attachment of claim 6 whereinthe chute walls are foldable between the operational position and storedposition.
 8. The attachment of claim 7 wherein the chute walls areformed of a flexible material.
 9. The attachment of claim 1 furthercomprising: a pair of opposed sidewalls of the hopper; a channel formedin each of the sidewalls with a bottom entrance opening; a sealing stripreceived in each channel and movable upwardly and downwardly therein;and a bottom of each sealing strip which rests atop the conveyor belt.10. The attachment of claim 1 further comprising: a sidewall of thehopper; a doorway formed in the sidewall having a bottom and a top whichis at a first height; a door having a closed position which covers thedoorway from the top thereof to the bottom thereof and an open positionin which the doorway is uncovered from the top thereof to the bottomthereof whereby the doorway in the open position provides access to theinterior chamber at a second height lower than the first height tofacilitate loading of particulate material into the hopper through thedoorway.
 11. The attachment of claim 1 further comprising: aself-contained hydraulic system of the attachment which comprises ahydraulic pump and a hydraulic motor which is driven by the pump anddrives revolving movement of the conveyor belt.
 12. The attachment ofclaim 1 further comprising a hydraulic reservoir mounted on the hopperwhereby the hopper serves as a heat sink for hydraulic fluid within thereservoir.
 13. The attachment of claim 1 further comprising: a hydraulicpump of the attachment having a rotatable drive shaft; and a pivot whichis offset from the drive shaft and about which the pump is pivotablerelative to the hopper.
 14. The attachment of claim 13 wherein the pumpis pivotable between first and second positions; and further comprisinga spring which biases the pump to the first position.
 15. The attachmentof claim 1 further comprising: a hydraulic reservoir of the attachment;a connector; a first leg of the connector which is connected to andextends outwardly from the reservoir; an output leg of the connector; aninput leg of the connector; a hydraulic pump having an inlet and anoutlet; a hydraulic motor having an inlet and an outlet; a first conduitextending from the output leg to the inlet of the pump; a second conduitextending from the outlet of the pump to the inlet of the motor; a thirdconduit extending from the outlet of the motor to the input leg.
 16. Theattachment of claim 1 further comprising: a hydraulic reservoir of theattachment; an exchange connector comprising a convergence chamber walldefining a convergence chamber; an exchange leg of the connector whichis connected to and extends between the chamber wall and reservoir anddefines an exchange passage providing fluid communication between theconvergence chamber and reservoir; an output leg of the connector whichis connected to and extends downstream from the chamber wall and definesan output passage in fluid communication with and extending in adownstream direction from the convergence chamber; an input leg of theconnector which is connected to and extends upstream from the chamberwall and defines an input passage in fluid communication with andextending in an upstream direction from the convergence chamber; and anobtuse fluid-exchange angle defined between the input leg and outputleg; wherein hydraulic fluid which enters the input leg is exchangedwith hydraulic fluid in the reservoir via the exchange passage due tothe fluid-exchange angle.
 17. The attachment of claim 16 wherein thefluid-exchange angle is in the range of about 165 to 175 degrees.
 18. Amethod comprising the steps of: detaching a mower deck from a frame of amower; mounting on the frame an attachment which comprises a hopper andconveyor belt; revolving the conveyor belt to discharge particulatematerial from the hopper.
 19. The method of claim 18 wherein the step ofrevolving comprises revolving the conveyor belt around a conveyor beltsupport assembly comprising first and second sections; and furthercomprising the step of moving the second section relative to the firstsection from an operational position to a stored position.
 20. Anattachment for use with a self-propelled outdoor power equipment unitcomprising a frame, an engine mounted on the frame, and drive wheelsrotatably mounted on the frame and powered by the engine, the attachmentcomprising: a hopper which defines an interior chamber; a mountingmechanism adapted for mounting the hopper on the unit; and a hydraulicreservoir mounted on the hopper whereby the hopper serves as a heat sinkfor hydraulic fluid within the reservoir.